18-Sep-2013Supercomputing the transition from ordinary to extraordinary forms of matter
Supercomputing calculations plus experimental data from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider are helping scientists map out the nuclear phase diagram. This research offers insight into the transition of quark-gluon plasma to ordinary matter -- which mimics the formation of visible matter in the universe today.

27-Aug-2013Third consecutive IEEE Cherry Award for NREL
Keith Emery always had amazing computer programming skills, but he lacked that special gift for creating solar cells. So, 30 years ago he switched to something more in his wheelhouse -- characterizing and measuring the efficiency of solar cells and modules.

13-Aug-2013Wood-boring gribbles intrigue researchers
Tiny wood borers known colloquially as gribbles make their own enzymes and use them to eat through docks in harbor towns, earning enmity from fishermen all around the world.

13-Aug-2013Interns make robust contribution to NREL
They travel far and wide, from all corners of the country. They come from a diverse set of backgrounds, and they have very different plans for their futures. But the 54 student interns at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory this summer all have something in common -- a thirst for knowledge and a desire to apply what they have learned in school to real-world science in a state-of-the-art laboratory environment.

25-Jul-2013Project Neptune: Specialized gas detection for nonproliferation
Sandia National Laboratories' Project Neptune aims to design a system capable of sensing, from among the loud signals of a lot of gases, the weak signals from specific gases that are signs of nuclear proliferation. The researchers believe their gas correlation technique will prove ideal for a simple, inexpensive sensor to monitor those few illusive gases.

18-Jul-2013Hurricane season: Predicting in advance what could happen
The Department of Homeland Security's National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center, jointly housed at Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, studies how hurricanes and other disasters disrupt critical infrastructure, such as roads, electricity and water systems.

7-Jun-2013X-rays from NSLS reveal fuel cells in action
Wouldn't it be great to have a magical "energy box" that could convert a wide array of fuels to electricity with high efficiency and lower emissions? Solid oxide fuel cells show significant promise. But these solid-state energy-conversion devices are made of complex materials and they require specific conditions for optimal operation -- high temperatures, variable pressures, and electrical polarization.

29-Apr-2013A solar booster shot for natural gas power plants
Natural gas power plants can use about 20 percent less fuel when the sun is shining by injecting solar energy into natural gas with a new system being developed by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

13-Mar-2013Accelerating particles accelerates science -- with big benefits for society
Tackling the most challenging problems in accelerator science attracts the world's best and brightest to Brookhaven Lab. It's only natural that ideas and techniques born here take root in new research facilities around the world -- and spark a host of spin-off applications for industry, medicine, national security, and more.

The Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.